Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Jason Mraz finally announced the North American tour dates for his 2008 We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. fall tour and it’s put The Blot in quite the predicament. As you all know, The Blot is a huge fan of Mraz and I’ve been waiting a while for him to return to Houston. When his 2008 North American tour was finally posted on his official website I was excited to see he would be playing in Houston on a Saturday night. That is until I realized the show was on the same night as another concert I’ve been eagerly awaiting, the Cold War Kids.

Aly and I haven’t been to too many shows this summer and I expected to make up for that this fall as Houston’s music scene kicks into high gear with the opening of a new House of Blues and an influx of indie bands as they travel through Houston on their way to ACL in Austin. Unfortunately, the two shows on the top of my must see list of concerts got schedule for the same night. What’s a guy to do?

As of now it’s up in the air, but I could squeeze both in if I’m able to get to Austin the night before to see Mraz at Stubbs and then return home to see the Cold War Kids that Saturday night at Warehouse Live. It’s not exactly the best plan since it would mean having to drive to Austin after work on Friday in rush hour, but we’ll see. For those of you planning on seeing Jason on one of his many tour stops, the talented Lisa Hannigan will be opening for him on all of the dates up until Nashville on November 30th.

The official solicitation for Star Wars Mighty Muggs Wave 6 is out and they are scheduled to hit shelves sometime in September 2008. One update on Wave 6 is that we now have picture confirmation that it will include a new version of Darth Vader. Darth Vader version 2 is a battle damaged Vader with his face plate removed so you can see Anakin all blue and shriveled up underneath his armor. Along with Darth Vader Version II, Wave 6 also includes Han Solo in Hoth Gear, Plo Koon & Grand Moff Tarkin.

Now that the summer onslaught of comic book themed movies has finally subsided we can start focusing on this winter’s offering, which includes The Spirit, Punisher: War Zone and the highly anticipated Watchmen.

Released last week at San Diego Comic-Con by Warner Brothers, the new Watchmen character movie posters have finally hit the internet. Each poster focuses on a different main character from the award winning graphic novel and has the same layout as the covers of the Watchmen comic book limited series.

Similar to The Spirit’s marketing campaign, each Watchmen character movie poster features a famous quote by that character from the graphic novel/feature film.

Watchmen, directed by Zack Snyder, premieres on March 6th, 2009 in theaters around the U.S.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

I haven’t watched a Batman cartoon since I was a kid, but this newest animated series has really piqued my interest. Batman: The Brave and The Bold is based on the DC comic book series of the same name, which featured a variety of super heroes from across the DC Universe teaming-up with Batman to fight crime.

What I liked about The Brave and The Bold comic the most was that it took secondary heroes who weren’t being currently used and teamed them up with Batman for an issue or two. It gave fans of those characters a chance to see their favorite heroes in action and brought about some new and entertaining Batman stories.

I think Batman: The Brave and The Bold will do the exact same thing. It allows fans of DC Comic’s secondary characters the ability to see their favorite heroes animated on the small screen. It is the exact same thing fans loved about Justice League Unlimited and the reason why that show’s toy line is still being produced years after the cartoon ended. I just get tired of the same 7-10 characters used in every single DC cartoon. According to the show’s Wikipedia page, heroes set to be featured in the new show include Adam Strange, The Atom, Black Canary, Booster Gold, Deadman, Dr. Fate, Fire, Green Aarow, Jonah Hex, Kamandi, Huntress, Metamorpho and Wildcat. (link)

I also love the look and feel of Batman: The Brave and The Bold. The animation is “inspired by the work of legendary Batman artist Dick Sprang.” (link) The use of heavy dark lines, similar to Sprang’s style, is evident throughout and the characters have a very boxy look to them. I think the animation studio behind the show did a really excellent job. The characters look animated and yet not cartoony. See for yourself in the Batman: The Brave and The Bold trailer below:

Batman: The Brave and The Bold animated series will air on the Cartoon Network and is set to debut on November 14, 2008.

I was in my local Nordstrom this past weekend and found this sick new Kidrobot x New Era 59fifty hat that features the Kidrobot mascot. The Kidrobot x New Era Electric Robot fitted hat is pink and light blue, and sells for $45.00 each. It must be brand new because the hat hasn’t even shown up at Nordstrom.com or Kidrobot’s online store yet.

I’m not sure if The Blot can pull off a pink and light blue fitted cap, but if I can you know I will be soon. Apparently the Kidrobot x New Era Electric Robot fitted hat is also available at the New Era New York store as well.

The Blot finally found an official picture that shows the complete first wave of the upcoming G.I. Joe Mighty Muggs. As previously reported, G.I. Joe Mighty Muggs Wave 1 will include Duke, Snake Eyes, Cobra Commander and Storm Shadow. While I’m a little bummed there isn’t a Destro Mighty Mugg in this first wave of vinyl figures, I think Hasbro made a great decision on which characters to include in the toy line’s first set. Besides, I’d be willing to bet money Destro will be in a soon to be announced Wave 2. G.I. Joe Mighty Muggs Wave 1 will be shipping to stores nationwide sometime in November 2008.

Monday, August 4, 2008

One of the biggest surprises at San Diego Comic-Con 2008 was an appearance by the star of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Hugh Jackman, and he didn’t come empty handed. Fans in attendance were treated with a never before seen trailer for the upcoming X-Men prequel.

There are two trailers in the YouTube clip below, the first shows Wolverine’s bones being fitted with his adamantium exoskeleton. The second trailer, a bootleg version from the Wolverine SDCC panel, sets up the plot of the movie and gives us a first look at many of the characters in the film including Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, Will.I.Am as Wraith, Kevin Durand as The Blob and Taylor Kitsch as Gambit.

Forget about those Back to the Future 2 x Nike Air McFly 2015 sneakers released earlier this summer, the coolest 80’s movie tie-in sneakers coming out this year are these limited edition The Goonies x Puma Disc Blaze sneakers. If you grew up in the 80’s then you know my obsession with The Goonies as a child. Who didn’t want to join in on their adventure to find the buried treasure of the 17th century pirate One-Eyed Willie?

I really love all of the nostalgia themed sneakers hitting the market right now, and these Goonies themed shoes might be the best of them all. The details on these Pumas are awesome. I especially like The Goonies group logo on the back of the sneaker.

The shoe’s official description: Legendary 17th century pirate, One-Eyed Willie couldn‘t have seen this one coming…PUMA got their hands on his buried treasure map. The actual map that was used by those kids from Astoria, Oregon in the 1985 film. Puma obtained exclusive rights to the artwork and constructed this LE release out of the map on our most iconic runner from the early 1980‘s, the Disc Blaze.

It's been a while, but Anthony Bourdain has finally found his way back to the States for a good old fashion road trip around the U.S. Southwest. While not always as exotic, I love when Tony returns to America to explore the culinary delicacies in our own backyard. This week Bourdain travels across California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas on his quest for adventure and food. Plus, he meets up with rock n’ roll legends Alice Cooper and Ted Nugent along the way. How cool is that!?!

As always, below is a promo clip for tonight’s episode of No Reservations, which includes Tony speaking with the two heavy metal icons:

Friday, August 1, 2008

I have to be honest I don’t know all that much about The Brothers Bloom besides who’s in it, but from just watching the trailer it looks really good. The film’s website describes it succinctly as “a con man movie by some of the people who made Brick,” the 2006 indie film by writer/director Rian Johnson. (link) It is the story of the Brothers Bloom, the world’s best con men, who for years swindled millionaires with complex scenarios of lust and intrigue. They decide to take on one last job - showing a beautiful and eccentric heiress the time of her life with a romantic adventure that takes them around the world. (link) Sound’s pretty good doesn’t it?

There is something about this movie’s trailer/plot that really reminds me of a Coen Brothers or Wes Anderson film, and to me that’s some pretty high praise. Hopefully the movie can deliver on a strong trailer and a talented cast.

The Blot Says... hasn’t had that much How I Met Your Mother news this summer, but this post should make up for that a little bit. According to the Chicago Tribune’s Maureen Ryan, “The Bro Code, a book of advice by Barney Stinson of How I Met Your Mother, will be on bookshelves in late November.” (link) How cool is that? First Neil Patrick Harris gets nominated for an Emmy and now this.

You may remember The Bro Code from the HIMYM Season 3 episode “The Goat” where Barney explained that it was a list he had compiled “of all the things a true male friend – a bro – should or should never do to his pals.” (link) As it turns out, Barney violated his very own Bro Code when he slept with his best friend Ted’s ex-girlfriend, Robyn. From what we’ve seen already, The Bro Code is basically one giant Barney-ism, and I for one can’t wait to find out more about the rules that Barney lives his life by.

Earlier this summer a deal was struck to bring The Bro Code to life, which sent “co-creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas [along] with Matthew Kuhn, the staff writer who is responsible for Barney's blog,” scrambling to complete this now legen…wait for it…dary tomb of how every Bro should live their life. (link) Thomas views this upcoming How I Met Your Mother book as “just this off-network continuation of the Barney legend,” a legend The Blot hopes will continue to grow for many seasons to come. (link)

Look for The Bro Code to hit stores in late November 2008, making the book an excellent holiday gift for that special someone in your life (hint, hint!).

Thursday, July 31, 2008

After my post yesterday about the new Madvillainy 2 album, I thought it only right to bring attention to another one of The Blot’s other favorite indie rappers, West Coast hip-hop artist Murs. I still remember the first time I ever heard Murs rap. I had downloaded this song he recorded with Danger Mouse, “To A Black Boy,” and was blown away. After having the song in heavy rotation on my iPod for well over a year, I picked up his tenth album and second collaboration with 9th Wonder, 2006’s Murray’s Revenge. It’s a pretty solid album from start to finish and has left me wanting more Murs.

Thankfully 2008 is going to be a huge year for Murs. He signed with Warner Bros. Records and is set to drop his major label debut, Murs for President, on September 30, 2008. But before that, Murs has re-teamed for a third time with hip-hop producer 9th Wonder to release a completely free album, Sweet Lord.

As Murs explains in a video on the album’s website Murs and 9th Wonder.com, Sweet Lord was made about two years ago but never released. Since Murs for President is about to drop, he and 9th Wonder decided to give away Sweet Lord to their fans for free as a thank you for all of their support over the years. All that Murs asks in return is that fans cast their vote for Murs for President on September 30th and buy a copy of the album.

I think this is a brilliant idea. Artists like Radiohead, Coldplay, Lil’ Wayne and Girl Talk have all proven giving away one’s music is an incredible marketing tool and a successful way to build a loyal fan base. It will also allow for a wider audience to sample Murs’ talents and hopefully give him broader media exposure than he would have ever received otherwise. The future seems bright for Murs, but don’t take my word for it. Download Sweet Lord for free below and have a listen for yourself.

One of The Blot’s favorite artists is at it again. This Friday, August 1st, 2008, Huck Gee is releasing the newest addition to his Jungle Life series, the Skullhuntress Life Priestess Munny/Dunny. The Skullhuntress Life Priestess is a limited edition hand painted Munny and comes “wearing her ceremonial feathered head gear, the sun rays, the sacred 2 eared white Life skull and wielding the blood skull staff.” (link) I really love the way Huck turns a Munny into a Dunny by hollowing out an 8” Dunny head and turning it into a skull helmet for a Munny. It really is so creative.

There were 10 custom Skullhuntress Life Priestess created, and each comes signed and numbered by Huck. The figures are $800 each and go on sale this Friday at Huck Gee’s Ebay Store promptly at Noon PDT. I’m setting the over/under for the amount of time it takes for this figure to sell out at 10 seconds. But, if I was a betting man I think I’d have to take the under.

I thought I’d give everyone an update on The Blot’s previous post about the upcoming Bruce Campbell movie My Name Is Bruce. A trailer for the movie has shown up on YouTube and it has all of the campy B-movie goodness you’d expect from a Bruce Campbell film. If you are a Bruce Campbell fan then you’ll love the trailer as much as I did, and if you’re not, well maybe you can appreciate the cheesy slapstick humor of it anyway.

Also, if you didn’t recognize the logo in the bottom right hand corner of the My Name Is Bruce teaser movie poster, the movie is being co-produced by Dark Horse Indie, a sister company to Dark Horse Comics. With the Dark Horse connection, a movie tie-in comic book was a no-brainer. So of course hitting newsstands on September 3, 2008 is the My Name Is Bruce one-shotwritten by Milton Freewater Jr. and with art by Cliff Richards. Best of all the cover is drawn by legendary comic book artist Bart Sears.

Dark Horse’s description of the comic says it is a “companion” book to the indie film, so I assume this means it is purely an adaptation of the movie. I was kind of hoping for some type of comic book prequel to set the stage for the film since the book is released a full month before the movie hits theaters. Who wants to read a comic that reveals the ending to a movie that hasn’t even been released yet?

My Name Is Bruce’s theatrical release is set for October 2008 with its release on DVD planned for January 2009.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Midway, the creator of the upcoming video game Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe for the PS3 and Xbox 360, unveiled a lengthy gameplay demo of the game at the San Diego Comic-Con MK vs. DCU panel over the weekend and released the names of four new playable characters.

The gameplay demo, which you can watch below, explores the vast settings the heroes and villains wage war in and displays some of the awesome combo moves from the game. I was really excited to see that Mortal Kombat’s trademark splattered blood was still extremely prevalent in the fighting game. It was also announced at the SDCC Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe panel that Fatalities will, in fact, be in the game! According to a report from Newsarama, “the DC Heroes will deliver Brutalities (punishing, but non-lethal beat-downs) while all the MK characters and the DC Villains will be able to use Fatalities.” (link)

With four additional characters announced, the grand total of known playable characters is now up to fourteen, seven Mortal Kombat characters and seven DC Universe characters. The two new MK additions are Kitana and Jax, who join the previously announced Liu Kang, Scorpion, Shang Tsung, Sonya Blade and Sub-Zero. Joining the DC Comics roster comprised of Superman, Batman, Flash, Shazam and Catwoman are The Joker and Green Lantern.

Kidrobot’s newest limited edition 20 Inch Dunny comes from the mind of the extremely popular Japanese artist Touma. Known worldwide for his line of Knuckle Bear collectible vinyl figures, Touma has established a unique character that translates really well to the Dunny platform. The Touma 20” Dunny is extremely limited with a run of just 400 figures and will go on sale tomorrow, July 31, 2008, at Kidrobot’s online store and stores around the globe for $300 each.

Ok, it’s not exactly the second album I was hoping for, but at least it can be considered new music, right? Madvillainy 2: The Madlib Remix is a “reworking” of the original by Madlib, lacing Doom’s original verses over all new beats. The Madvillainy 2: The Box, while expensive at $125.00 plus shipping, is loaded with extras including the 25 track Madvillainy 2 cd, a “One Beer (Drunk Version)” 7-inch vinyl single, an actual cassette with The Madvillainy Demo Tape on it, a t-shirt and a comic book continuing the story from the “All Caps” Madvillain music video. The Box might be expensive, but you definitely get more than your money’s worth of Madvillain items.

If you’re at all interested in Madvillainy 2: The Box don’t sleep on its pre-order because they are manufacturing the box set based on pre-orders, so if you don’t get in on it early you might not get one at all. You can pre-order The Box at Stones Throw’s new online store now until August 15th, and you can expect the Madvillainy 2: The Box to ship on September 15th.

For those of you dying to hear the new Madvillain tracks, but not interesting in shelling out $125 for The Box, there is another options. For $9.99 you can purchase just the Madvillainy 2: The Madlib Remix digital album directly from Stones Throw. The digital album is available now and can be purchased here.

Click here to find out more about Madvillain and Madvillainy 2: The Box.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Here’s one more unplanned Mighty Muggs update. Coming out November 2008 is the latest edition of Hasbro’s Marvel Legends Mighty Muggs series. Wave 4 of these popular vinyl figures will include the world devourer Galactus, the cosmic powered Silver Surfer, the Fantastic Four’s Human Torch and Wolverine.

I believe the Wolverine included in Wave 4 will be a new version of the popular mutant, but I have not been able to find picture confirmation of this. So be aware that Wolverine, the fourth figure in this set, could just be a re-release. One exciting note about Marvel Legends Mighty Muggs Wave 4 is that two of the figures, Galactus and the Human Torch, have what look to be advanced head sculpts. I assume this means there will be some exciting new looks for future characters in the world of Mighty Muggs.

The BET Network announced earlier in the month that they have picked up The Black Panther, a new primetime cartoon from Marvel Animation. This animated television show is set to air on BET early in 2009 and will be based, at least initially, on the first six issues of the 2006 Marvel comic book Black Panther, which was written by writer/director/producer Reginald Hudlin. (link) The coolest part of this new television series is that the look and feel of the cartoon is based on the artwork of superstar comic book artist John Romita, Jr.

At BET’s SDCC panel this past weekend fans were treated to a two minute sneak preview of The Black Panther and now The Blot is excited to bring that teaser trailer to the readers of The Blot Says... But I have to warn you, this is no children’s cartoon. The teaser trailer is pretty bloody and a lot more violent than I expected it to be. But don’t take my word for it, see for yourself:

Monday, July 28, 2008

First it was announced that Conan would be re-imagined in a new film next year and now we have news from San Diego Comic-Con 2008 that the Red Sonja remake Robert Rodriguez has been shopping around to star Rose McGowan is finally a go. Who could have guessed in 2009 we’d have two different movies based in Cimmeria? Unfortunately, I think this movie has disaster written all over it. While the teaser movie posters of the She-Devil with a sword look awesome, something tells me the drama surrounding the film will kill it before it even hits theaters.

I love Rodriguez’s films, especially his El Mariachi trilogy, but the on again/off again nature of Rodriguez and McGowan’s relationship spells doom. If you don’t know their back story, let me give you a quick breakdown. The two met while filming Rodriguez’s Planet Terror, his part in the flop Grindhouse. The two started having an affair on set, which ended his 16 year marriage to Elizabeth Avellan, the mother of his five children and the producer of many of his films. Since then Rodriguez has been shopping a series of films to star his new muse, including Red Sonja, a remake of Barbarella and Woman in Chains! The only problem is numerous news outlets reported last month that McGowan had ended her engagement with the director. (link)

Now from all the SDCC reports I’ve read the two were overly friendly with each other, to the point of many referring to them as being romantic during their promotion of the movie. While the two evidently said all of the right things while at the Con, this doesn’t put my mind at ease for the success of Red Sonja. If their engagement really is over I just don’t see how this movie can be successfully made, especially if the media turns on either one of them for the drama their affair created.

It is too bad all of Rodriguez’s creative energies have gone into finding movie vehicles for McGowan, because the director is such an amazing filmmaker that he doesn’t need the hype surrounding their relationship overshadowing his work and he definitely doesn’t need her to make a successful movie. Secretly I hope Red Sonja is good, if nothing else because both of their careers need a hit badly after Planet Terror.

The original Red Sonja film by director Richard Fleischer debuted in 1985 and stared Brigitte Nielsen as Red Sonja and Arnold Schwarzenegger as Kalidor.